The Butler County Family YMCA is excited about our youth group mentoring program called Reach & Rise®. Are you excited? Do you want to become a YMCA Youth Mentor? Download the application form below!
The Butler County Family YMCA is excited to present our new youth group-mentoring program, Reach & Rise®. This group model helps empower youth ages 8-15 in overcoming challenges that are prevalent in today’s society, such as low self-esteem, unsatisfactory academic progress, peer difficulties, and poor decision-making skills.
Our Reach & Rise® program is a group mentoring program, which will enable us to help more children than our previous program. Each group can be formed by age, activity (like sports or art), by geographic area, or in other ways that will benefit children in the group. Our goal is to serve 50 youth in the first year of the program. This group structure can help participants learn how to form social skills in peer groups, and build relationships that could last a lifetime.
Reach & Rise® has established a curriculum for each group session.
Activities and events related to this program will be held in public and community spaces with two volunteers present.
Reach & Rise® is an evidence-based youth mentoring program with published research leading to specific guidelines that will help to ensure the success of the program. Outcomes include:
Because this program is evidence-based, we have received the support and endorsement of the Butler Area School District, which will serve as one referral source for the program.
Program volunteers would be required to obtain the same clearances that YMCA employees and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Butler County volunteers obtain.
Volunteers will also attend specialized mentor training sessions that total 15 hours.
How can children be referred to the program? Referral sources include school districts, churches, individuals and family members
Referral sources include school districts, churches, individuals and family members.
Since its founding, the YMCA’s Cause has been to strengthen communities. Our Youth Mentoring efforts to date have been focused on one child/one adult model. We recognized there is a gap in serving groups of children. As we researched numerous programs over the course of a year, we found the Reach & Rise® program was a good fit.
It’s an established successful YMCA program. Resources and ongoing support are available at no cost through the YMCA of the USA, our national organization.
A group mentoring program will provide safety for volunteer mentors and youth.
Participants and volunteers will see benefit from an evidence-based program where outcomes are tracked.
This program will be offered for free to participants. Funds for this program will come from the YMCA’s Annual Support Campaign. This important fund helps to support community programming to ensure that everyone regardless of age, income, or background has the opportunity to grow, learn, and thrive.
In addition, we have fundraising events that are established and dedicated to our Youth Mentoring programs. We are confident the community will continue to support efforts to help children.
We are already applying for multiple grants, and we are meeting and in many ways exceeding the national standard for Reach & Rise program goals.
We are excited to REACH more youth and are preparing to RISE to a new level of service in Butler County!
For additional questions, contact Katheryn Eberle Cotter, Clinical Director, Reach & Rise®
For additional questions, contact Kathryn Eberle Cotter, Clinical Director, Reach & Rise® kcotter@bcfymca.org
When you give to the Y, you are funding life-changing programs that help thousands of children, adults and families in Butler County to learn, grow and thrive.
The Butler County Family YMCA is a non-profit, charitable organization open to all people, regardless of age, sex, race, religion, ability or income. Our mission is to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build a healthy spirit, mind and body for all.
